09/07/2012

It is with great pleasure that I have the honor of introducing our Diva Marketing community to a dear friend, Sybil Stershic.

Sybil's second book, Share of Mind, Share of Heart, explores the world of nonprofit marketing. The book takes a different slant from other books about NPOs; it focuses on the impact that employees and volunteers have on brand perception.

Diva Marketing/Toby: Sybil, Right from the start of Share of Mind, Share of Heartit’s clear
that this is a book that you believe in and that comes from your heart. The
Forward sets the direction that nonprofit marketing holds an additional element
that may not be as prominent in other industries. It’s often based on a personal and passionate
commitment.

How do you walk the fine line of believing passionately in a
cause while maintaining business objectivity?

Sybil Stershic: It
can be a challenge, Toby. Passion for the mission is what attracts nonprofit
employees, volunteers, donors and other supporters. It helps connect them and
keep them engaged with the work of a nonprofit.

But passion for the mission
without a bigger picture perspective can be dangerous – it can lead to burnout
and a condition known as “mission creep” that dilutes organizational focus.
Effective oversight by nonprofit leadership, via the executive staff and board
of directors, is needed to maintain a dual focus on both the mission and the
organization’s viability. While a strong mission helps drive financial support
– i.e., “no mission, no money” – these leaders understand the reverse is also
true – “no money, no mission.”

Toby/Diva Marketing: Your book is full of practical, creative
ideas that at first glance seem so simple; however, we know too well that
implementation can be a challenge.

Would
you talk to us about what you refer to as “After The First Day” (P 59)? After
the initial orientation and excitement about the organization has waned how can
we help remind staff and volunteers of the mission and goals and keep them on
track?

Sybil Stershic:
New staff and volunteers get a lot of attention when they first join the
organization. Even in smaller organizations that don’t have formal orientation
or on-boarding programs, there’s still an effort to “imprint” the new person
with the organization’s mission, values, and goals.

After a while the newbies blend
in with other staff and volunteers. If the collective group is not kept
informed on an ongoing basis as to what’s happening in the nonprofit and how
it’s responding, the people within the organization tend to hunker down and
lose sight of the big picture. Job descriptions become outdated; members of the
board turn over, yet the staff doesn’t know who the new board members; the
strategic plan is updated, but not shared with staff and volunteers; etc.

In
the absence of ongoing communication, people start to disengage.

What’s amazing, Toby, is that the remedy
to this isn’t all that difficult. It involves being intentional in proactively
communicating with staff and volunteers. For example, the Jewish Family &
Career Services of Atlanta (Whom you introduced me to, thank you! My pleasure Sybil. Bloggy disclaimer: JF&CS is a client.), holds an
all-staff meeting the day after each monthly
board of directors’ meeting to share board meeting results along with updates
on grants and special events. JF&CS also recognizes and shares volunteer
accomplishments in its monthly e-newsletter.

Another great example is the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute that starts
staff meetings and board meetings by reading aloud its mission statement to keep
everyone focused. These two examples illustrate that keeping the people who
help fulfill the mission “in the know” doesn’t require a Herculean effort
– it’s basic communication and
engagement via staff meetings, volunteer meetings, internal newsletters, training,
staff/volunteer recognition, and special events, as needed.

Diva Marketing/Toby: “So the
degree to which you capture and keep consumers’ share of mind and heart is
directly influenced by their interactions with your staff and volunteers.”
(P 33) I really like this statement ... a lot.

Since Diva Marketing is focused
on social media I’m wondering how much of a nonprofit’s online engagement in
social networks, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. influences
share of mind and heart?

Sybil Stershic: The
degree to which a nonprofit uses social networks depends on the organization – its
culture, mission, key audiences, etc. That said, social media is a wonderful
way to grow share of mind and heart with mission-inspired content.

Sharing
stories and pictures of how people benefit from the mission (while not
breaching confidentiality)
… volunteers or donors sharing their experiences
supporting the mission (also reinforcing the ways people can get involved) … staff members offering a behind-the-scenes perspective
of a special event … these stories help bring the mission to life. A nonprofit
can also write blog posts and share links to content that educates people about
its mission and programs.

While social media advocates say “content is king,” I’d go
even further to say “careful content is critical” in that nonprofits need to
consider sensitivity in how they present any and all messages that reflect on
their mission and brand. A negative impression can easily go viral.Toby/Diva Marketing: What are your thoughts about involving staff,
who are not in the marketing department, and also volunteers in participating
in social media/networks? Let’s take these two ways. The first is as one of the “voices” of the
nonprofit.

Sybil Stershic: I
know this seems like an oxymoron, but any “voice” speaking on behalf of a
nonprofit needs to be authentic to be
credible, yet carefully managed to
ensure the wrong message isn’t put out there. That’s why social media
guidelines and training need to be part of both Human Resources and Marketing
policies.

Toby/Diva Marketing: The second ... how would you encourage
nonprofits to interact with consumers in the digital world?

Sybil Stershic: The answer to this depends on the
organization and its target audiences’ access to and use of social media.

For
example, I know a health-related nonprofit that combines both high-tech and
low-tech approaches in building share of mind and heart. To broaden its
outreach efforts, the marketing director produced a brief educational video as
part of an “ambassador portfolio” that also contains a list of frequently asked
questions and updated brochures for use by board and staff members. Employee
reps show the video when meeting with outside groups or hosting on-site
facility tours.

Marketing is also in the process of updating the website to be
more engaging. Yet because many of its older board members do not use email, this
nonprofit communicates with its board primarily by phone and regular mail.

Toby/Diva Marketing:
You’ve worked with many different types of nonprofits, and you’ve also worked
with for profits. For me your book provides a roadmap that can be easily
modified and used by both. One challenge
that both nonprofit and for profits face is opening lines of communication
across the organization .. or “de-siloing.” What suggestions can you give us to
help that critical process?

Sybil Stershic: The
best way to start is to ask employees for their ideas on what works in bridging
these silos. They can also help identify which departments or divisions are
already doing with well with inter-organizational communications; these areas
can serve as role models.

Toby/Diva Marketing:
Sybil, as is the tradition of Diva Marketing interviews, you have the last
word. What would you tell our community, especially those marketers working in
the nonprofit world?

Sybil Stershic: Recognize
your marketing team includes everyone who works in your organization,
regardless of the department or function they are assigned. So you need to
effectively engage the minds and hearts of the people behind the mission (your employees and volunteers who impact your
brand) as well as the people in front of
the mission (your consumers and the public).